‘Why we’re initiating women’

A group has taken it upon itself to initiate as many women as it can of African origin.

Speaking about hers, Adaora, a Nigerian woman presently staying at the International Organization for Migration’s transit centre in Niamey, Niger, said, “This training has been both a challenge and a relief. It’s inspiring to see women who’ve been through worse things than I have opening up and talking about their experiences. Abuse makes you feel very alone, but if we speak up, we can join forces and make a difference.”

Adaora is one of the 40 women who participated in a 100 percent female slam poetry workshop organized by IOM and the local collective Plumes du Sahel to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women (25/11). 

“We know that women have important things to say about society and the way society sees them, but we also know that their voices are often silenced,” explained Isaac Oumarou Manan, President, Plumes du Sahel. “And by initiating them in the art of slam, we’re campaigning for their empowerment through freedom of expression.”

The 10-day workshop called upon 30 young female artists from two high schools in Niamey, Lycée Mariama and Lycée Korombé, and ten women migrants currently staying at the IOM transit center to share their thoughts on gender equality, domestic violence and other forms of violence towards women, and to promote women’s rights, through spoken word performances. 

“As women, we don’t often get the chance to get on stage and say what is on our minds,” said Nafissa, one of the youngest participants. “I think I’ve a lot to say and expressing my feelings through slam poetry has taken away much of the fear I had of public speaking and opening up.”

Like Adaora, many female migrants experience various forms of gender-based violence and abuse such as rape during their trip, and most often at the hands of traffickers and smugglers. In 2019 alone, IOM’s mission in Niger assisted 85 victims of trafficking who were tricked into leaving their countries of origin with false promises of better lives abroad. 

“Migrant women are particularly vulnerable to violence and abuse, so it’s important for IOM not only to sensitize migrants and the general public on this issue, but to also give these women a platform to speak their minds,” said Barbara Rijks, Chief of Mission, IOM Niger. “The workshop has given this vulnerable group a platform to talk about things they wouldn’t normally share without fear of retaliation.”

The workshop concluded with a slam poetry show on December 5 at the Centre Culturel Franco-Nigérien (CCFN), Niamey. 

It was organized under IOM’s fourth edition of the Global Migration Film Festival (GMFF) with support from the European Union within the framework of the Migrant Resource and Response Mechanism.

PdS is a collective of young slammers and poets created in 2015 by the group ART PLURIEL. Its mission is to promote public speaking in all its forms in the media and in schools with the active involvement of women.